HIEROPLAYER

Description

Introducing HIEROPLAYER

HIEROPLAYER is a VFX playback tool built for artists. Complementing HIERO and integrating with NUKE and the VFX pipeline, HIEROPLAYER gives artists access to the full HIERO project on their VFX workstation. This allows them to view shots in the context of a conformed HIERO timeline and quickly review versions of renders.

Giving artists the power to playback every shot on the timeline, HIEROPLAYER puts VFX work in context.

Features

HIEROPLAYER Highlights

View your shots in context and get the right results faster with soft import of all media that NUKE can read plus audio and play back for individual artists.

Work seamlessly with NUKE out of the box with playback of all NUKE image formats, including multi-channel EXRs & Audio, letting artists easily send clips back and forth between HIERO and NUKE.

Stay organised and save time with media management capabilities that let artists create their own elements library to organise, sort and tag their VFX elements.

Keep on top of reviews by saving out projects for reference or passing back to HIERO and use shot tagging to add notes to shots on the timeline.

HIEROPLAYER is a VFX review and playback tool built for artists. Integrating with NUKE and the VFX pipeline, HIEROPLAYER lets artists view versions of shots on a multi-track editorial timeline in context.

HIEROPLAYER for NUKE artists

If you have NUKE and want a review and playback tool with close NUKE integration, HIEROPLAYER offers:

The power to playback every shot on the VFX timeline in context.

A ï¬‚ipbook tool and a place to create scratch edits, making it the perfect timeline tool for NUKE.

Playback of all NUKE image formats, including multi-channel EXRs, and audio, letting artists easily send clips back and forth between HIEROPLAYER and NUKE.

Working collaboratively with HIERO and NUKE

Access to a full HIERO project for individual NUKE users on their VFX workstation, allowing them to view shots in the context of a conformed HIERO timeline and quickly review versions of renders.

Compatibility with NUKE & HIERO straight out of the box and Python scripting to make deep integration into any VFX pipeline possible.

Review and Playback

Familiar multi-track timelineHIEROPLAYER can playback and review sequences containing a mixture of video and audio tracks at variable speeds on a familiar multi-track editorial timeline. Artists can also create and edit new sequences using the move, trim, slip, slide, roll and razor timeline editing tools.

NUKE consistent file format supportHIEROPLAYER shares image and audio reading functionality with NUKE and HIERO so all applications can read the same formats in the same way. Formats include: R3D, ARRIRAW, EXR, MOV and DPX.

OCIO colour managementHIEROPLAYER includes OpenColorIO, the open source colour management library backed by Sony Pictures Imageworks, which is consistent across all The Foundry’s products to standardise colour space conversions.

Real time image scopesHIEROPLAYER includes a histogram, waveform and vectorscope that let artists analyse the image information in each shot in detail whilst playing back in context.

Media localisation cachingHIEROPLAYER can optionally copy remote footage to the artists local drive to ensure improved playback when working in environments where multiple NUKE artists access data over a shared network.

Shot management & export

HIERO<>NUKE integrationHIEROPLAYER is tightly integrated with both NUKE and HIERO offering a best in class roundtripping and review workflow across both applications.

Automatically ingest VFX shotsHIEROPLAYER gives artists working in a HIERO based pipeline the ability to automatically pass back rendered shots from NUKE and other VFX tools into the full timeline.

Version shots & snapshot timelinesHIEROPLAYER lets artists easily bring in new versions of shots and switch between them in a timeline view to easily review changes in context.

Hierarchical project managementHIEROPLAYER allows users to ingest new media from the file browser or via drag and dropping into the project bin view.

Metadata tagging of shots, frames and sequencesHIEROPLAYER uses HIERO’s tagging abilities to allow the addition of notes and store arbitrary metadata on shots and clips in the timeline, viewer and project bin view.

Open, Scriptable Playback Framework

Extensive Python APIHIEROPLAYER includes Python API, accessible via the script editor or by running scripts on startup, suitable for everything from lightweight customisation of exporters through to full integration with asset management and production tracking systems.

Integrated PySide

PySide is also included to allow users to build their own custom user interfaces via Python and the Qt frameworks.

HIEROPLAYER vs HIERO

Multi-track editorial timeline

HIEROPLAYER lets you play back and review sequences with a mixture of video and audio tracks at different speeds on a familiar multi-track editorial timeline. You can also create and edit with the move, trim, slip, slide, roll and razor timeline editing tools.

Support for soft effects, overlay tracks and annotations

HIEROPLAYER now has the ability to read in soft effects, overlay tracks, and annotations created in NUKE STUDIO and HIERO.

Broad format support

HIEROPLAYER shares image and audio reading functionality with NUKE and HIERO to enable all applications to read the same formats in the same way. Formats include: R3D, ARRIRAW, EXR, MOV, DPX, MXF and many more.

Media localisation caching

HIEROPLAYER supports collaborative working by making it possible to copy remote footage to the artists’ local drive, meaning improved playback when working in environments where multiple NUKE artists need to access data over a shared network.

OpenColorIO Color Management

HIEROPLAYER includes OpenColorIO, the open source color management library backed by Sony Pictures Imageworks, which is consistent across all of The Foundry’s products to standardize color space conversions.

Audio import and playback

You can easily import WAV or AIFF files into HIEROPLAYER, both for preview and in order to add to existing timelines, giving greater context to your shot review. View an audio track’s waveform in the timeline, with separate waveforms displayed for stereo audio files.

Review and playback tools

HIEROPLAYER takes the hard grind out of review and playback, letting you compare clips, sequences, tracks and versions in the A/B viewer with stack, horizontal and vertical views, blending modes, color sample tools, split wipe tool, gamma and gain sliders and multi-channel support. Use a histogram, waveform and vectorscope to analyze the image information in each shot while playing back in context, plus enjoy fast and intuitive control of frame shuttling directly in the viewer for precision playback and review.

Stereo playback and monitor support

View and playback stereo images natively in HIEROPLAYER. We’ve added support for multi-view Stereo EXRs that lets you playback and review stereo images in real time.

Modal editorial tools

HIEROPLAYER provides familiar editorial functionality in the form of individual tools like select, slip & slide, roll & ripple, retime, razor and join, giving you easy-to-use controls straight on the timeline. So whatever your editing background, you will find all the standard features in a user-friendly interface.

Source / record 2-up viewer layout & 3-point editing

With HIEROPLAYER, you have a familiar editorial layout that lets you insert and overwrite clips from the source view directly into the timeline using standard 3-point editing techniques.

Editorial keyboard interface

HIEROPLAYER offers in-depth precision clip or edit selection and nudging, together with playhead shuttling from timecode and extended JKL, giving you extra control direct from your keyboard.

Ingest

If you’re working in a HIERO-based pipeline, HIEROPLAYER gives you the ability to pass back rendered shots from NUKE and other VFX tools into the full timeline. It also lets you ingest new media from the file browser, or alternatively via drag and dropping into the project bin view.

Versioning

HIEROPLAYER makes it easy to bring in new versions of shots and switch between them in a timeline view to review changes in context. HIEROPLAYER uses HIERO’s tagging abilities to allow the addition of notes and store arbitrary metadata on shots and clips in the timeline, viewer and project bin view.

Python API & Pyside

HIEROPLAYER includes Python API for full integration with your asset management and production tracking systems, together with PySide to let you create custom user interfaces via Python and the Qt frameworks.

Videos

Introducing HIEROPLAYER from Hieronymus Foundry on Vimeo.

In this 1min video Matt Brealy takes you through the highlights of HIEROPLAYER; our newest offering for the VFX community.

A review tool built for artists, HIEROPLAYER has the closest NUKE integration and gives artists the power to review and playback every shot on the VFX timeline and view their work in context.

Special thanks to Unexpected for letting us use their lovely Nissan X Trail spot to demonstrate with.

Specifications & Licensing

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

4 GB of disk space available for caching and temporary files

8 GB of RAM (minimum requirement)

Intel i3 CPU (or equivalent)

Workstation-class graphics card with OpenGL 2.0 driver support, such as NVIDIA Quadro series or ATI FireGL series